Writing Steampunk Fiction

Steampunk by any other name…

There are lots of similar genres and terms for Steampunk and things that are Steampunk-esque. Here’s a *very* brief summary of some of the really neat things I found. This is by no means definitive or exhaustive.

• Alternate History—This is a really broad category because alternate histories are infinite and Steampunk is only a small part. This is when you actually explain how and why your Steampunk world got to be this way which could range from rebuilding after WWW III to portals to hell to earthquakes to aliens and beyond
•Fireside Science Fiction–“Cozy” Sci-Fi where Victorian gentlefolk end up doing god-knows-what, god-knows-where, but it all ends well and laugh about it over brandy and cigars in the study afterwards
•Gaslamp Fantasy–Set in a Victorian-esque fantasy realm these stories have tight bodices, slapstick, mayhem, mad science, and paranormal elements
•Gaslamp Romance—same as above, but with more sex and a happily ever after and could be set in either a fantasy realm or the “real” (ish) world
•Neo-Victoriana–Recreating Victorian life using modern tools, materials, and methods (most “traditional” Steampunk works have advanced technology but use Victorian materials not modern ones)
•Retro-Futurism—Combining elements of the past with future technology but can be applied to any era not just Victorian
•Scientific Romance–An early, primarily British, term for science fiction, also used to describe Verne’s works. Now used for Victorian based-science fiction
•Steampulp–What if I was stuck in a bodice ripper and had to fight my way out before the brass robots ate me? Also another name for Steampunk, since the “punk” leads people to think stories are dystopian or anarchist (like cyberpunk) where in actuality they usually aren’t
•Victorian Science Fiction–Gentrified name for Steampunk though often denotes fiction actually written in Victorian era, as opposed to stories set in Victorian times
•Voyages Extraordinaire –Larger than life Victorian adventures, a la Jules Verne
•Wild/Weird West–Steampunk meets the 19th Century American West. Lots of mad scientists, saloon girls, cowboys, and giant mechanical beasts

Do you have any other neat Steampunk terms to share? Cool linkys? Any of these inspire you? Or is this information overload, lol?

I have *one* tiara left (I’m going to have to go back and see if they have more. I bought them all out last time I was there, lol.) These are really beautiful art-deco style mini tiaras. This one is black with stones in shades of gold and yellow. Perfect for a Steampunk princess. One lucky poster will snag it…I’ll post the winner on Friday.

Steampunk tiaras. Wow, those sound amazing. Yep, I’m going to have to try my hand at writing steampunk one day. Such a cool concept. Look up Abney Park, they are one of the most amazing steampunk bands I’ve ever heard.

Thanks for stopping by Lynne! maybe there’s some steampunk medical romance in your future? “The air pirate’s secret doctor” perhaps? Victorian medicine can be quite amusing and when you throw steampunk into the mix. Who knows, you could start a whole new genre…

But wait, I didn’t realize this was a contest for a TIARA.
I need a new tiara, because I’m receiving the RWA Librarian of the Year award this month at the National Conference in DC and I should have a tiara, shouldn’t I?